Today’s Word
Hebrew Scrabble
I said to the LORD, “My Master You are, my good is only through You.” Psalm 16:2 Robert Alter (Hebrew numbering) Is only through You – “The textual difficulties of this whole segment of the poem being here, because the Hebrew bal-‘aleikha is unclear.”[1] Here are a few other attempts to translate this: I said…
The Jacob Syndrome
And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. Genesis 37:35b NASB Mourning – What happened to Jacob when he thought his son Joseph was dead? By carefully examining this narrative in Genesis we discover a lot about psychological trauma, family dynamics, and unconscious…
We Just Can’t Get Away
All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB All Scripture – How many times have we investigated the nuances and implications of this single verse? A dozen? Two dozen? It seems that Paul’s statement in a letter to a pupil just…
Doubt Doesn’t Matter
Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief!” Mark 9:24 NASB Doubt Doesn’t Matter (from August 2010, with revisions) Unbelief – What an odd expression? It’s so odd that even good translations stumble over it. The NASB adds “help me in my unbelief” in the 1963 version. The NIV substitutes…
Rock of Ages
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my savior, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. Psalm 18:2 NASB Rock – Gibraltar or the Grand Canyon? When you read this verse, do you think of granite or sandstone? They’re both rocks. Which one comes to mind? Before you answer,…
The Best Wounds
Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses. Proverbs 27:6 NIV Can be trusted – I’m not a big fan of the NIV. For me, it has too much implicit theology, especially in the New Testament. In this particular verse, Robert Alter’s criticism of the translator’s need to explain rather than…
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